21Vianet

21Vianet is the operating name associated with VNET Group, Inc., a China-based carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data-center services provider. The company says it offers hosting and related internet data-center, cloud and business-VPN services intended to improve the reliability, security and speed of customers' internet infrastructure. [1]

In its 2025 Form 20-F, VNET says its retail data-center business includes colocation, interconnectivity through BGP and single-, dual- or multiple-line networks, and value-added services such as hybrid IT, bare metal, firewall, load balancing, backup and recovery, and server and data-center management. Its wholesale business develops data-center sites to customer specifications, while its non-IDC businesses provide cloud services and secure VPN connections. [2]

The filing describes a dual-core strategy combining retail and wholesale data-center opportunities, with data centers and points of presence connected across China. Retail services can scale from a single cabinet to megawatt-scale deployments, while wholesale projects are built for large internet and cloud customers. VNET presents carrier and cloud neutrality, network assets and data-center footprint as central parts of its competitive position. [2]

The company's relevance to this database includes its Microsoft cloud role. Microsoft states that Azure operated by 21Vianet is a physically separated instance located in China and is independently operated and transacted by Shanghai Blue Cloud Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing 21Vianet Broadband Data Center Co., Ltd. [3] VNET's filing says it began public-cloud services through cooperation with Microsoft in 2013 and provides Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform to customers in mainland China. [2]